Lost Number Rhea
by riven-del
Summary: Sho and company come across one of Cronos' big secrets in the form of a Lost Number. Rating is subject to change in chapters to come.
1. Chapter 1

_Journal entry 1: _

_My name is Lost Number Zero. If I have a real name then I do not know it. I was taken from my family when I was an infant and I was turned into a Lost Number around the age of six. _

_The man that took me acted on his own free will. He worked for an organization called Cronos, a secret society bent on taking over the world by turning people into monster like creatures called Zoanoids. Cronos has twelve directors called Zoalords and they were not happy when they discovered what one of their scientists had done. He never did ask for authorization for the project, and what he did was unforgivable._

The lab was quiet. The only sounds came from the computers and a wired cage. The cage was labeled _Lost Number Zero_. In the dark room no one would have seen the girl with wings, but she could see the lad as though it were well lit. Her blue cat eyes were fixed on the computer monitors. A Zoanoid form, a Lost Number, was displayed on the screen. A flood of memories washed over her mind. She remembered being put in a tank and she was submerged in water. She remembered pain when she woke up out of the tank. She remembered the scientist being disappointed and he locked her back in the cage. She looked away from the screen and curled up in a corner. She closed her eyes—

The lab door opened and her eyes shot back open. The lights flickered on and she covered her eyes. When her eyes adjusted to the light did she look at the person who entered. The man was old and balding. He wore a white coat like the other scientist did and his eyes betrayed his shock to see her.

"What are you doing here, child?" he asked her.

She just stared at him not sure if he meant her harm or not.

"Who are you?" he asked. He knelt in front of the cage. "What is your name?"

She crawled to the door of the cage and tapped the label.

"That can't be your name," he said and he started working something on the lock. "Are you sure you don't have a name?"

She just sat there and tilted her head with a confused face.

"I'll take that as a no," he stepped back and the door swung open. "Come out."

"I can't," she said and scuttled to the back of the cage with fearful eyes. "He'll hurt me if I get out."

"Who will?"

She pointed to the open lab door. He turned and said, "Hello, Professor Jackal."

"Professor Yamamora," the scientist the child feared strode toward the cage. "Might I ask why you're in my lab without permission?"

"You've been keeping quite a few secrets from Cronos," Yamamora said and indicated the child. "Why do you have a child in a cage labeled _Lost Number Zero_?"

"It is none of your concern," Jackal pulled out a gun and aimed it at Yamamora, "and it is a secret that'll get you killed."

Lost Number Zero rushed out of the cage and knocked Yamamora down before Jackal pulled the trigger. Then she knocked the gun out of Jackal's hand and bit him. He threw her against the wall several times before she let go, but Yamamora had enough time call for back up on the lab comm.

"No!" Jackal tried to get to him and was attacked again by Lost Number Zero. She didn't know what Yamamora said, but whatever he said put the fear of God into Jackal. He was almost hysterical by the time uniformed men came in and seized him by the arms. Another man pried Lost Number Zero off of Jackal and held her above the ground with her arms pinned behind her back.

"You can put her down, Razzel," said Yamamora. "She won't harm anyone."

"You sure about that, sir?" Razzel said and let the girl go. "She looked like she was about to tear his head off."

"She had every right to do so. Put him in a holding cell and Razzel take the girl to the infirmary."

Razzel led Lost Number Zero out of the lad and down a very long hallway. She looked around curiously for she had never been outside the lab before. The Zoanoid led her to a metallic door that opened after he pressed a button with an arrow pointing up. He ushered her in the small room and pressed another button with a number. The room lurched and she felt like she was going up.

"W-what is this?" she asked holding onto the railing to her left.

"Are you telling me you've never been in an elevator before?" Razzel appeared to be appalled by this. "How long did Jackal keep you in that cage?"

"I've always been in the cage," she told him once she got use to the gentle vibrations of the elevator and the upward moving feeling.

"You have been neglected, kiddo," he told her and the elevator stopped. The doors opened and he ushered her out onto a hall with several scientists and soldiers roaming the hall. "Hey, Henderson! You got a minute or more?"

A scientist looked over to Razzel and said, "Sure, what can I do?"

"Professor Yamamora found this kid stuck in a cage in Professor Jackal's lab," Razzel explained and patted Lost Number Zero on the back. "He told me to bring her up here."

"This ward is empty," Henderson pointed to the white room behind him. "She can wait in there until I get done with my current patient."

"Come on, kiddo," Razzel led her into the ward and put her on the hospital bed. "Henderson will take good care of you until I get back, okay?"

"Okay," she said and looked down at the bed. "What's this?"

"What?" he asked looking appalled again.

"This thing I'm setting on. What is it?"

"It's a bed. People lay down on it and go to sleep on it." _What the hell! She's never seen a bed before?_

"What about this?" she held up the pillow and folded it in half.

"That's a pillow. You put your head on it when you're sleeping." _She doesn't even know what a pillow is? _"I have to go now, kiddo. I'll come back to check on you in a little bit, okay?"

"Okay," she laid the pillow back down and watched him leave the ward. She could tell he was very uncomfortable by her questions. She could tell that everyone knew what everything was except her. At least she knew that she was a Lost Number, a failed Zoanoid model. A complete failure. A freak of nature. Unwanted by anyone in any sense or situation.

Just then she felt something. It felt like a force; a force so intense that she felt like something hard and heavy hit her between the eyes. The ward door opened and a man entered. He was tall, well built, and in her opinion very cute. He had wavy brown hair that reached past his chin and his ears were pointed. In the center of his forehead a gem no bigger than her thumb was visible. His face and dark eyes showed he meant her no harm and she sensed something unfamiliar radiating from him. He walked over to her bed and sat next to her.

"Hello," he said to her in a gentle voice. "My name is Sin Rubeo Amniculus."

She stared at him for a brief five seconds before she said in a small voice, "H-hello…" It was awkward for her since she never heard or said that word before.

"I'm one of the directors of Cronos," he continued with a gentle smile. "We have heard from Professor Yamamora what happened to you. We, the directors, will sort it all out, and Cronos will take good care of you in the mean time."


	2. Chapter 2

_Journal entry 2: _

_The Council of Zoalords decided that I could not live among humans. They told me I was too different. _

_I get to have a room of my own, but when I turn thirteen I'll start my training as a soldier of Cronos. One of the Zoalords told me that this was the better path for me, that if I tried to live as a normal human then I would never be accepted. There were Lost Numbers in Cronos like me, only they were created when their optimizations failed. I was an experiment done without authorization from Cronos' lead scientist, Dr. Hamilcar Barcas. _

_They said that I'll be prepared for when the time comes for me to join the Lost Numbers. I'll go into some form of training to get me fit and to learn what I can do as a Lost Number. _

_They also gave me a name to go by: Rhea. _

Lost Number Zero, Rhea, awoke earlier than any other kid her age would. Today she will join the Lost Unit Commandos of Cronos. It was nearly the crack of dawn and she was already dressed in her usual tank top and cargo pants when someone knocked on her door.

"You awake yet, kiddo?" a man asked through the door.

She opened the door and said, "More awake than the rest of the team I'll bet."

"Up and early eh?" the guy said. He looked to be around his thirties with a scar on his face. His short brown hair was sleeked back and Rhea could tell he must have been the leader of the Lost Number Commandos. "Good. You'll fit right in."

"I take it you're Aptom?"

"Yeah," he grunted and motioned her to follow him. They started walking down the hall and he continued, "Look, Little Miss White, there are not any other kids your age here in Cronos, especially as a Lost Number. Training you may be different. Honestly I don't approve of a thirteen year old kid being a soldier."

"I don't expect special treatment or anything," she told him. "I expect you to push me to the limits of my endurance."

"Good answer kid 'cause I am not some whimpy scientists that'll give you a break every fifteen minutes. You will train twice as much. You will find out what it means to be unique in Cronos."

"If I don't then I'll get killed."

"A nice way to put it, but correct all the same."

The rest of the team was waiting for them at the end of the hall. There were only three other Lost Numbers. One of them was tall and skinny. He had black hair and veins popped out on his face as a result to his optimization. Another was fat, as in could take up an entire bus seat fat, and he had no hair, not even eyebrows. The last one wasn't as fat, and he did have some brown hair. All of them, including Aptom, wore their uniforms except Rhea.

"Well, here's the newest of our team," Aptom said. "Rhea, this is Somlum," he indicated the skinny guy, "Dyme," the fat guy, "and Gelpess," the potbelly Lost Number nodded.

"Welcome to the team, Rhea," said Dyme.

"You sure about this, Aptom?" asked Somlum. "She looks like a regular kid with her attire." At that Rhea extended her thirteen and a half foot wings. "I take that back."

"Exactly why she's with us," Aptom smiled. "I've seen her train. She'll give us all a run for the money."

"With what the docs put her through?" Gelpess said as though he didn't believe Aptom. "I doubt she'll get to go out on a mission any time soon."

"How about we find out?" Rhea suggested. "Let's go to the training field and find out."

* * *

><p>Aptom and the rest of the Lost Numbers trudged into the mess hall for lunch. They were all dirty and sweaty. How in the hell they ended up losing to a kid in capture the flag they didn't know.<p>

Rhea was reluctant to join them. She tried to go back to her quarters and fix her own food, but Dyme had dragged her with them by the arm to the crowded mess hall. Several of the Standard Zoanoids began to taunt them as soon as they set foot in there, but they didn't direct their insults to Rhea. Some of the Zoanoids greeted her like an old friend.

"Hey Rhea!" a Hyper Zoanoid, Gaster if she remembered correctly, called out. "You think you can give bug boss here a few pointers on flying?"

"Shut it, Gaster," the Hyper Zoanoid leader, Zx-Tole, said and a number of Zoanoids laughed with Team Five. Even Rhea and the Lost Numbers laughed.

"Hey, you have to admit that she is good at being sneaky," the biggest of the Hypers, Derzerb, said with a grin. "Remember when you tried using a megaphone during training exercises?"

"And his voice got distorted to sound like Darth Vader," Gaster tried not to laugh.

"And it blurted out random comments when he turned it on to use it," the bald Hyper, Elegen, said and they all busted out laughing.

"Keep it up and I'll make you all run laps until you get dizzy," Zx-Tole said and they quieted down to snickering.

"Random comments?" Aptom asked in a whisper to Rhea.

"As random as random can get, like 'the cow says moo'," she told him and the Lost Number team suppressed their laughs as best they could.

"I'll get back at you eventually," Zx-Tole promised Rhea like he did many times before.

"Keep dreaming, bug man," said Rhea as she got her food and sat down at an empty table. She noticed that many of the Standards were talking and she heard many of them making bets. _Oh Lord, here we go again,_ she thought as the rest of her team sat with her. "Expect something before dinner," she warned them.

"What might that be?" Gelpess asked.

"Just listen to them," she pointed to the Standards behind her making bets.

The rest of the day passed without incident until they were about to go to dinner. As Rhea predicted, something happened as they were heading to dinner. Aptom entered the hall first and was slapped in the face by a giant water balloon.

"Gotcha—" Zx-Tole's smile faded and he was dunked into a five gallon trash can seconds later while everyone howled with laughter. Rhea was hugging herself she was laughing so hard while the rest of Team Five nearly fell to the floor.

"I guess you're good enough to keep if you can give me an excuse to do that to a Hyper Zoanoid," Aptom told Rhea with a grin. "Welcome to the Lost Number Commandos."


	3. Chapter 3

Two years passed in a somewhat orderly fashion for Rhea.

She trained every day and occasionally went on missions with the Lost Commandos. Sometimes other squads would steal her from the Commandos for missions that required stealth and no other Stealth Types were available. The Hyper Zoanoid Team Five even stole her for one of their missions every now and then. There were times that Zx-Tole would try to get back on her for the many times she pulled a prank on him and he would spectacularly fail.

Today Rhea had planned to do everything she usually did every day. She didn't expect anything to be different, nor did she expect something so unusual that she would think she had gone insane. She thought she would only be wearing her Lost Number uniform today.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" her Lost Number team shouted as soon as she walked out of her room that morning. Dyme tackled her in a bear hug while the rest of the team grinned ear to ear.

"Fifteen already, huh?" said Aptom. Rhea was the size of a woman basketball player now. Her white hair was cut short, but her bangs remained long and mostly in her face hiding her blue cat eyes. "In another year the big bosses will let you go on the big missions."

"Before we know it you'll be flying solo," said Somlum.

"Flying solo?" asked Rhea and Dyme let her go.

"For reconnaissance stuff," Aptom explained. "You have to admit: you're among the best All-Round Types in Cronos. Other branches of Cronos are already asking for us to transfer you to their section for reconnaissance missions. When your turn sixteen you can decide which branch you'll go to."

"You make it sound like I'm being offered a higher position. I thought we weren't allowed that much freedom in any section."

"We're not going to ruin the surprise," Gelpess said waggling his finger. "We'll let Dr. Barcas tell you that."

"Hey, I don't mean to be rude, but we're running late," said Dyme. "Last one to the mess hall cleans up the table!"

Rhea took off ahead of her team down the hall. She kept her wings clamped shut using only her feet to get her to the mess hall before the rest of the team. Several Zoanoids noticed something zoom past them as she made her way to the level's mess hall. She was nearly there when someone big and possibly German stepped in her way.

_Oh crap!_ "Watch out!" She tried to stop herself, but ended up falling face first and rolling past the giant. She was getting caught by the waist by a robust man and they both landed on their backs. "Sorry, Derzerb."

"No problem, Rhea," said Derzerb and he helped her get back up.

"That really sucked."

"At least you didn't break anything this time."

"Lost Number Commando, Rhea?" the giant she rolled by seconds ago asked.

"Yes sir," she stood at attention. The guy was massive with tanned skin and blond hair she swore took a lot of hair gel to make it sleek back and stay there. He wore a pale white suit, a tie, and black shoes. "What can I do for you, sir?"

"Careful," Derzerb whispered to her nervously. That struck her as very weird because it took a lot to make Derzerb as nervous as he was now.

"May I talk to you in private, Ms. Rhea?"

"Uh…" Now she was unsure what to think. "Okay," she said and followed him to an unused lab.

"I don't particularly like gossip, and I really don't like being the subject of gossip," he explained before Rhea could ask why he wanted to speak with her in private. "I'm sorry for not introducing myself earlier. We've never met before, but I've heard a great deal about you and I am sure you have heard about me. I am Commander-in-Chief Richard Guyot, the Twelfth Zoalord of the Council of Zoalords."

"I have heard of you sir," Rhea said quickly. Now she understood why Derzerb was nervous. Zoalords were the highest ranking generals of Cronos and they answered to only one Zoalord whose name she did not know. They were powerful and they could kill just about anything that annoyed them. "It is an honor to meet you, Commander."

"I am honored to meet you as well, Rhea," Guyot said with a smile. "May I ask you something?"

"Of course, sir."

"Would you care to have dinner with me?"

_What? _"Uh…sure…O-of course!"

"Excellent! I'll meet you at dinner time at the private dining area," he opened the lab door for her in clear dismissal. "I'll see you later tonight then."

"Yes sir," she left the room and Guyot. Rhea nearly ran back to the mess hall, but she controlled herself and forced her legs to slow to a walk. She was so lost in thought that she nearly ran into Aptom.

"Everything alright, Rhea?" he immediately asked her.

"I'll tell you and the rest of the team," she looked over his shoulder and saw that the rest of the Commandos were sitting at the usual table looking at her with worried expressions. "C'mon, let's go in."

As soon as she sat down with her food Dyme asked the question, "What did the Commander want? Derzerb told us and his team the Commander spoke to you in private. Did the Commander ask you for something?"

"He asked me to dinner," she said in a low voice and they huddled closer to her.

"The Commander asked you to dinner?" asked Gelpess.

"A private dinner I think. He told me to meet him at the private dining area tonight."

Somlum whistled. "Sounds like a date or business dinner."

"Business as in trying to get me to stay in his section when I turn sixteen?"

"I hope it's that kind of business and nothing else," Zx-Tole squeezed himself in the huddle next to Rhea.

"Bug boss, shouldn't you be with your team?" asked Aptom with his serious look. "This is a Lost Number matter, not a Hyper Zoanoid's matter."

"It is when it concerns Rhea," the Hyper Zoanoid told him and then addressed Rhea, "Rhea, I'm sure they've all told you this already, but be careful around the Commander. He's a Zoalord, and Zoalords don't ask Lost Numbers to dinner willingly, especially when it comes to private dinners. He's up to something and it could be a bad thing."

"Apparently we're all thinking the same thing," said Aptom. "I would gladly tell her to call it off if it were someone else like Makishima Genzo, but the Commander might kill her if she decided to not show up."

"No, that wouldn't be a good idea at all," Zx-Tole agreed. "We could have Gelpess take her place, but I think the Commander would tell the difference at some point. The only option I see here is for Rhea to ride it out, and keep the Lost Number team close by in case something happens."

"So it looks like I'm having dinner with a VIP," said Rhea before she left the table.

* * *

><p>Hours later Rhea found herself in the elevator going to the VIP dining area where she would meet Commander Guyot. She wore her formal attire for when she appeared in public with Cronos officials, her 'business suit' as Aptom said. Her clothes were a deep shade of purple like her Lost Number uniform. When the Standards asked her why she was dressed up she told them she had business to attend to. Rhea watched the levels pass until she heard the familiar <em>ding<em> signaling her that she had arrived.

She made her way to the VIP dining area and ran into the person she was to meet with. Guyot had apparently decided to wait for her.

"You're early," he said with a smile.

"Better to be early than on time," Rhea told him as she made a polite bow.

"Exactly what I think," he opened the door for her and indicated her to go in first. "I hope you don't mind if we have guest tonight."

Rhea entered. The VIP dining area was smaller and had only one table. She had to admit: who ever did the interior design knew how to make a room express a sense of a calm and relaxed environment. She focused on the table and saw that the guest the Commander mentioned was a Zoalord she met when she was discovered. He had wavy brown hair and he wore a tunic. She recognized him at once.

"Lord Amniculus!"

"Rhea," Sin Rubeo Amniculus stood up and hugged Rhea. "It is good to see you again. You've grown since we last met."

"It's good to see you too, Lord Amniculus." She remembered him very well. They met nine years ago after Professor Jackal was executed for experimenting on her, and then she met him after one of her missions in North America two years ago.

"You can call me by my first name," he let go of her. "This is not something formal, and I see no reason to call you Lost Number Rhea."

"Very well, Lord Sin," she resolved to address him with his title rather than just his first name.

Guyot indicated for her to sit with them and he said, "Sin is here to inspect the base and he has something to tell you, or that's what he told me at least."

"Dr. Barcas wanted to tell her in person, but circumstances had him send me with the message," said Lord Sin. "Rhea, after you turn sixteen you will be starting solo missions. The Council is giving you more freedom than any other Lost Number has been given. You will be able to travel to whichever Section you decide to go without requesting a transfer. You will be your own unit and will not have a designated Section."

"Why so much freedom?" asked Rhea. "No Zoalord can control me very well like all Lost Numbers. How can the Council place so much trust in me?"

"We've watched you grow up, Rhea," he explained. "You're very loyal to Cronos and you have done much for our glorious cause. We're giving you this freedom as a reward for all you've accomplished. You are also a very useful and talented individual. Lost Number or not, the other Sections are requesting your transfer even now."

_Exactly what Aptom told me,_ she thought. "So even the other Sections think I'm good at what I do."

"Indeed," said Guyot. "I assume then that you're also here to offer her her first mission when she hits the magic number?"

"Not from me, but from Dr. Barcas," said Lord Sin. "He didn't tell me the details, but he said he would speak with Rhea soon after she turns sixteen."

* * *

><p>Rhea excused herself from the presence of the two Zoalords. Her body and mind were full to the max with food and thought. The food was good, but the conversation before dinner bothered her. The elevator ride was short she was so entangled in her thoughts. She found that her team and Team Five were waiting for her outside her quarters. All nine men wore worried expressions as she approached.<p>

"Well, we didn't hear any ruckus and you're in one piece," said Aptom.

"Lord Amniculus was there," she told them of her meeting with the two Zoalords and they listened to her without comment. Zx-Tole and Aptom would interrupt to ask a question here and there, but they were mostly quiet.

"You're given freedom from the Zoalords themselves?" asked Gelpess once Rhea was done. "And they trust you with that freedom?"

"I'm surprised by this too," said she. "However, I am more concerned about the mission the doctor wants me to do in the future when I hit sixteen."

"Knowing him, it'll be something big," said Derzerb all calm and collected. "He's the main Zoalord that gives out _the_ big missions. Whatever he has in store for you won't be a walk in the park, I can guarantee that."

"I've already thought of that as well," said Rhea. "Something still bothers me, though. I can't say why, but I think there's a storm brewing somewhere."

"A storm?" asked Somlum.

"That's the best I can put it," she explained. "Something big is going to happen and Dr. Barcas wants me in it."


	4. Chapter 4

_Journal Entry Three _

_ I remember my first mission with the Lost Number Commandos. We were to gather data from a military base in North America and destroy every trace of Cronos' existence from their files. _

_ Gelpess got us in, Aptom and Somlum took out the guards without raising the alarm, and Dyme remained outside as our look-out and our backup. I was the smallest and fastest of the group so I was given the task of gathering and destroying the data. I went after the Cronos files first and found them in the commanding officer's office. What the officer had uncovered was surprising, but I knew where he got the majority of his information from: the Proto-Zoalord Murakami Masaki. _

_ That's when I felt a Zoalord's mind brush against my mind. I told no one, not even my teammates about that. How did I know it was a Zoalord contacting me? There are no other Zoaforms with the telepathic ability to contact or manipulate another Zoaform. I ignored the contact at first and destroyed the files, covering up Cronos' existence. I was also able to get the data Cronos needed from the same office, and the data I found was rather pathetic for a United States Military base. I met up with my team and we made our way back to HQ when I felt the Zoalord's presence again. _

_ 'Rhia…' was all the unknown Zoalord said. _

_ Only years later would I have understood why he called me that. _

* * *

><p><em>Mt. Minakami, Relic's Point command center…<em>

Rhea kept her eyes on the display screen before her and two other Zoalords. Guyver III, Makishima Agito, was fighting Team Five and not standing much of a chance.

"This was taken two hours ago before you arrived," Dr. Barcas told the Lost Number child as Guyver I, Fukamachi Sho, arrived and rescued his friends and comrade. "We have the location of their hideout, and we have bait to lure the Guyvers out. Your mission is to infiltrate the group and keep track of them."

"It'll be easy to get Fukamachi to trust me," said Rhea. "However, Guyver III might suspect me since he's been in Cronos for so long."

"You do have a certain element on your side though," said Commander Guyot. "None of them has ever met you before, not even Guyver III. He's only been exposed to Lost Numbers that despise Cronos. He wouldn't suspect much from you."

"If you say so, Commander," said she, flexing her wings. "Let's hope I can act the part."

"You will be heading to their hideout with Darzerb and Gaster when it gets dark," Dr. Barcas said in a matter-of-factly tone. "Go and get prepared. You will find everything you'll need in your quarters."

"Yes, Doctor," the Lost Number bowed and left the command center of Relic's Point.

When Barcas was sure the Lost Number child was gone did he look to Guyot and say, "I'm not surprised you asked Rhea to take up this mission. I can understand using her as a spy, but sending two Hyper Zoanoids into the woods where the Guyvers are hiding appears to be a bit overkill. I don't see how just Standard Zoanoids wouldn't have sufficed."

"You're probably right," said Guyot, his gaze still fixed on the display screen. "However, I have a bad feeling about Mr. Murakami."

* * *

><p><em>This is going to be a bitch,<em> Rhea thought as she tried to figure out the best way to put the civilian tank top without tearing it with her wings. She tried slipping it up like she would put on pants, but she couldn't bring it up past her hips. Slipping it over her wings first was out of the question too. Sighing inaudibly, she started looking through her wardrobe.

"This is pitiful," she muttered to herself, holding up a gray athletic tank top over the long, olive green shorts she received with the civilian clothes. She had to settle with the athletic top, there was nothing else in her wardrobe that would make her look like a civilian and be easy to slip on. _At least none of my team is here to see __**this**__,_ she thought and sighed.

Somlum, Dyme, and Gelpess would have laughed until they turned blue were they still alive. As it was, Guyver I killed all three of them and left Aptom badly injured. Rhea cried and cried when she got the message on her way to Relic's Point that three of her comrades were KIA. Aptom was still in the processing tank and Rhea was certain that Dr. Barcas was going to alter Aptom's abilities in some way so the Guyvers would have trouble killing him. _Because no matter what we Lost Numbers will always be trash,_ she thought darkly and finished gearing up.

She took one last look in her bathroom mirror and began heading for the door out. Her hand was on the door knob when someone knocked. This wasn't unexpected and she expected it to be Aptom or one of Team Five when she opened the door, but the person standing before her was one of the last people she would expect to knock on her door.

"Commander?" Rhea felt herself blush slightly when Commander Guyot smiled at her.

"I thought I'd come wish you good luck," he explained, "and see what you would look like in civilian clothes. You look like an average teenager with wings."

"Uh…Thank you," she managed to say without displaying her confusion. It didn't take her long to realize that Guyot had only seen her in her uniform or her business attire.

"Honestly, Rhea," he put on his serious face. "Do be careful and come back in one piece."

"I will," she promised and he walked away. _I'm going to request a nice long vacation when this is done, and try to find a boyfriend closer to my age so I don't have to do this crap again._ She sighed again remembering her original mission Dr. Barcas assigned to her last month. The mission with the Guyvers was just a cover up to what she was really doing. _ Slow and steady, girl, _she told herself and proceeded to meet with Team Five.


	5. Chapter 5

Fukamachi Fumio sat in his cell, worried out of his mind about his son, Sho. He wasn't sure if that strange armor had protected Sho from the electric attack from that eel monster. He wished he knew if his son was okay.

"Is something wrong?" the guard outside his holding cell suddenly said. "We're not supposed to change shifts for another hour." There was a grunt and a thud, and then the cell door was opened and another soldier entered.

"Dad, it's me," said Sho as he removed his helmet.

"Sho!" Fumio jumped up and rushed over to his son. "How on Earth did you get in here?"

"Makishima knows this place like the back of his hand," Sho pointed to the other boy now just taking off his helmet. Just then the alarm sounded.

"Let's go," said Makishima without preamble and all three of them ran down the hall until they met up with Zoanoids. "We'd better transform."

"Stand back, Dad. We'll protect you."

Fumio stood back and watched his son and Makishima both summon the strange armor again. Almost immediately the two of them started cutting and blasting their way through the hoard of monsters.

* * *

><p>Murakami Masaki hadn't expected to sense two Hyper Zoanoids, let alone a Lost Number trying to get away from the said Hyper Zoanoids.<p>

"Something wrong?" Segawa Tetsuro asked.

"Hurry, get the others," he said to the chubby teen. "We've got company."

* * *

><p>Rhea ran, fighting off the urge to use her wings. It was hard for her to not use her training here, especially when she was acting the part of captured-teen-girl-trying-to-get-away-from-psychos.<p>

"I'll drag you back to Chronos, you little bitch!" Darzerb yelled not too far behind her.


	6. Chapter 6

She found the cabin.

Rhea wasn't surprised in the least to see the Murakami guy outside, but she was surprised to see his oversized revolver with the words _Max Factory Zoanoid Buster Custom_ printed on the side if the weapon. _Where in the hell did he get something as insane as that?_ she thought already calculating the force of the recoil of that crazy thing. She had heard that gun had taken out Panadyne's arm and if that was true then Murakami would have to have a very strong skeleton to withstand using the oversized weapon more than once.

"Gotcha!" Gaster's voice brought her out of her trail of thought and she jumped out of his arm's reach. "You're not getting away from Chronos you speedy little bitch!" She heard both Hyper Zoanoids transform as she ran to Murakami.

"Get behind me," Murakami told her and she stopped roughly five paces behind him. She turned just as he shot a round at Darzerb only to discover that his gun had no effect on the grey Hyper Zoanoid.

"It's no use!" Rhea told him. "That asshole's built like a Sherman Tank!"

"I'll take your word for it," he told her and put his gun back in its holster.

"Well, well, well! Look what the cat dragged in," Gaster said and Rhea imagined him grinning smugly in his human form. "We chase this little rat and we find the rest of the rats."

"I know I've said it this week, but you really need to revive some of your brain cells Pinky," said Rhea in a bored tone.

"Speak for yourself. Your little stunt back in the base really shows how smart _you_ are."

"Hey, even you have to admit that was downright hilarious when a few fireworks went off in Dr. Sadistic's lab."

"Shut it you worthless piece of garbage," Gaster tried to charge at the Lost Number. _Tried_ because he was suddenly forced to stop by a powerful telepathic force. Rhea may have been a Lost Number, but she could tell the source of the telepathy was coming from Murakami.

_Now, fight to the death! Don't hold back,_ she heard his telepathic command to her comrades, shocking the hell out of her twofold.

For starters, the fact Murakami had telepathic powers that could control Hyper Zoanoids was not something Rhea expected or should ignore. Secondly, last she checked a Lost Number held no telepathic abilities unless they equipped a special transceiver. Even if a Lost Number _did_ have some telepathic abilities they could still not be controlled by a Zoalord; they would be able to receive orders more easily, but it was ultimately up to the Lost Number to carry out those orders. Ergo Rhea was unsure how she was able to hear Murakami's telepathic command all of a sudden.

_Open your eyes, you imbeciles! What are you doing?_ Rhea heard Dr. Barcas's telepathic voice. Gaster and Darzerb snapped out of Murakami's influence and glared at the man.

"That's one hell of a trick you just pulled," Darzerb growled and charged at the man. "You're going to pay for making fools of us!"

_What the hell! _Rhea nearly said aloud when Murakami stopped Darzerb dead in his tracks with his two bare hands.

"That's impossible! Who the hell are you?"

"Transform!" Murakami was enveloped in light and Darzerb backed up a few paces. When his transformation was done the Lost Number child immediately knew what he was. His battle form was similar to Guyot's battle form, yet Murakami was smaller and purple and white. The two Hyper Zoanoids fled under Barcas's order and Murakami turned back into his human form.

"Whoa! Are you okay?" Rhea steadied him before he could fall over.

"Murakami!" Rhea looked over her shoulder to see a chubby teen wearing glasses hurrying over to them. That had to be Segawa Tetsuro.

"Could you get me some clothes?" said Murakami. "We need to take the car."

"What do you mean?" asked Segawa.

"Just hurry! Sho's in danger."

* * *

><p>Sho didn't know what to do. He had been running with his father on his back when he suddenly got cut on his arm. He dropped his father and fell to the ground only to discover that his father had become one of the many things he'd been fighting since he found the Guyver. Right before his eyes, the elder Fukamachi transformed into a Zoanoid.<p>

He dodged his father's every attack, not wanting to kill his own father.

"Dad snap out of it!" Sho pleaded in vain just before his eyes were hit with enzyme fluid blinding him. His father raised his white furred claw to give the finishing blow. "Dad!"

Fumio hesitated, and then his claw dug in the back of Guyver I's brain and ripped his head open.


	7. Chapter 7

They were driving through the woods. Everyone was quiet, and Rhea couldn't really blame them after what she witnessed merely an hour ago.

_Poor Fukumachi,_ she found herself thinking as she looked over at the unconscious form of Guyver I next to her in Murakami's car. She, Murakami, and Segawa had seen the berserk Guyver use the Megasmasher on Fukumachi's father whom had been turned into a Guyver-killer Zoanoid. Everyone, except for the ever curious Segawa, remained silent for the entire drive. Rhea would _have_ preferred the gloomy silence, but Segawa Tetsuro kept coming up with questions to ask the teenage Lost Number.

"So, how did you get yourself involved with Cronos?" asked Segawa whom was turned around in his seat to look at the Lost Number.

"I was on vacation here in Japan, ironically I was hiking around Mt. Minakami when Cronos captured me," she told her well-rehearsed cover story. "I was just minding my own business and next thing I know I'm in a processing tank."

"Where are you from originally? You don't sound like you're from this area."

"The United States; my home state is Louisiana."

"You're a long way from home then, Ms," Murakami spoke and the lilt at the end of his sentence indicated that he wanted to know her name.

"Ash Smith, sir," she told him. "What's your names?"

"I'm Segawa Tetsuro," Segawa introduced himself.

"Murakami Masaki," the older man said, "and the person sleeping next to you is Fukumachi Sho."

"Well, it sure is damn good to meet you all. Having a bunch of lab coats, stuck up soldiers, a sadistic old fart, and a perverted giant that _needs_ to update his hair style, is not my kind of company to hang with," she put as much distain in her voice as she could muster at the moment, making the two men laugh.

"Perverted giant?" asked Murakami again once they calmed down.

"Uh…" she paused, pretending to think, "Tall dude, blonde quiff that does _not_ go with his tanned skin tone, and has a retarded name….I think it's was something like Guyot…" Segawa raised an eyebrow at that. "What? The _gilipollas _wouldn't stop grabbing my rear whenever he saw me."

"What does gilipollas mean?" asked Segawa.

"Sorry, it's Spanish for _asshole_."

"Multilingual and an escape artist, huh? Anything else we should know about you Ms. Smith?"

"Yeah just one: please don't call me Ms. Smith. Hearing that will make me look over my shoulder for my mom; just call me Ash."

"Okay, Ash," Segawa chuckled.

* * *

><p>Something about the Lost Number didn't sit well with Masaki. The fact that Ms. Smith had been inside Cronos notwithstanding, there was something off about her.<p>

Usually Cronos processed adults around eighteen or so, not around fifteen or sixteen like they had done to Smith. Her voice didn't sound like a Southern-State accent that he had heard before on one of his brief trips to America. Both suspicions could be explained away, but then there was the fact that she had gotten away so easily from Cronos-Japan's main HQ. There was also the feeling that he had seen her somewhere before. Something in the back of his mind brought up the Arizona Base incident and that just made him more confused.

"Have you ever been to Arizona, Ash?" he asked the Lost Number teen.

"No sir," she shook her head to emphasize that she had never been to that state. "Too dry of a location for me to _want_ to visit. Why do you ask?"

"No particular reason," _Just who the hell are you, Ash?_ Masaki silently demanded and returned his focus to driving.


	8. Chapter 8

_Journal entry 4_

_ At first I didn't understand why Cronos kept me hidden in their Arizona base when I was younger, but that was before Yamamora rebelled. _

_ When my old friend and mentor let loose the Proto-Zoalords of Richard Guyot's battle form, I was shocked to say the least and looking back I should have seen it coming. At first I couldn't believe that the man that had rescued me would turn around in such a way. His last words to me were this, "Cronos does not care for you, Rhea. They are keeping you a secret just so they can use you in the future." _

_ I already knew that Cronos as a whole did not care for me. The only ones that did seem to care were him, Zoalord Sin Rubeo Amniculus, and another Zoalord I had not met until right before the rebellion. That Zoalord, the one that founded Cronos, is the only reason why I was well cared for and treated with some respect in the first place. Had it not been for him, I would not be in the position I was back during the Guyver incident. The other Zoalords either forgot me immediately or they just didn't care; to them I was another expendable asset in their arsenal. _

_ An expendable and dangerous asset… _

* * *

><p>Rhea laid back against the tree just as Tetsuro woke up close by.<p>

"Morning, Segawa-san," she said.

"Morning, Ash," he replied. "Hey, Sho. Why don't you get some rest? I can handle watch now."

"How about you both go down and get some breakfast?" suggested the Lost Number. "I'm gonna make one last sweep over the area, so why don't you two go ahead of me while I do that."

"Sounds good to me," Tetsuro replied and he led Sho back to the group's mock camp area while Rhea took flight.

* * *

><p>Commander Rhichard Guyot saw the Lost Number girl flying above him and the two Enzyme-IIs. He smirked and fired a Gravity Bullet at the girl's wing, missing the bulk of the limb yet clipping it enough to force her to descend.<p>

_That old fool honestly thought he could use the Lost Number to reveal me,_ he mused. _I'll make him regret that when the time comes. _

* * *

><p>Masaki was contemplating what he should tell Sho and his friends when something big and white crashed through the forest canopy. Ash landed next to the car with part of her right wing missing and bleeding streams of scarlet.<p>

"Ash!" everyone hurried over to her.

"Hostiles coming," she managed to say through her obvious pain. "Son of a bitch _that_ _hurt_!"

"What happened?" Makishima demanded.

"I thought I was high enough to not be spotted, but something did and shot me with something," she explained looking over at Shizu, whom was heating a blade to cauterize the wound. "Could someone get me a branch to bite down on?"

Tetsuro obliged and got the Lost Number a good sized branch that she proceeded to bite down on.

"Hold down her wings," Shizu instructed and four of the men in the group held her winds down; Masaki and Makishima held down the wounded wing while Sho and Tetsuro held down the left. "Ash, this is going to hurt."

Ash nodded and braced herself. The woman pressed the scorching blade against the open wound and the Lost Number bit down on the branch while at the same time screaming. When the painful process was done, Ash shook her head and tossed the cracked branch aside.

"FUCK!" she yelled. "Next time I'll take stitches over this painful shit!"

"That might be a better option considering you nearly tossed Tetsuro and me off," said Sho rubbing his chin, "and that's saying something with how heavy Tetsuro is."

"Sorry, guys," she apologized and attempted to get up. Stars flashed in her vision almost immediately and Masaki had caught her before her knees buckled.

"You alright?" the older man asked.

"I think so, but I may have lost a lot of blood before landing." Ash steadied herself against the car and took deep breathes in an attempt to clear her vision. "Still, we _need_ to get the hell out of Dodge. Whatever shot me out of the sky is gonna come and find us if we don't move ASAP."

"I believe it's a little too late for that," a voice that the group recognized all too well said and Richard Guyot along with two Enzymes appeared behind them, "my dear Lost Number, Rhea."

"Do I have to keep repeating myself, SeñoraPompadour?" the Lost Number in question spat the nickname at Guyot. "My name is Ash."

"Don't be so hateful, my dear," his tone towards the Lost Number in question was not something Masaki expected to hear. It became clear as day why Ash called the Zoalord a pervert. "After all, you _belong_ to Cronos. We will always find you no matter where you run to."

"Doesn't mean that I _can't_ try," the distance between them was gone in a blink of an eye. Ash had moved so fast that only Masaki and Guyot were able to see her charge. The latter Zoalord caught the punch aimed for his face and tossed the Lost Number aside into the trees.

"You've got spunk, I'll give you that much. I'll enjoy dragging _you_ back to Cronos after I deal with these two gentlemen." A flash of blinding light made everyone cover their eyes until the light died down. When they could see Guyot again, they saw a hideous green and white Zoanoid with a giant crystal protruding in the center of his forehead. "So, shall we get this party started?"


	9. Chapter 9

The Enzymes went after Guyver III while Guyot fought Murakami. Already Makishima was having trouble and he hadn't been fighting for three minutes.

_Go help Guyver III or help Murakami?_ Rhea debated, knowing she'd have to get into the fight to not look suspicious to the group. Makishima couldn't land a single hit on the Enzymes, and Murakami was holding his own against Guyot somewhat. _Oh screw it! _

* * *

><p>When one of the Enzyme-IIs was suddenly tackled over by the winged Lost Number girl, Makishima was shocked. He didn't think the girl had it in her to do <em>anything<em> like _that_.

"Move thyn keister, Makishima!" Ash shouted before the other Enzyme tried to take a swipe at him from behind.

Once he was facing the Enzyme he fired his Head Beam at the furry white beast's legs and charged his Pressure Cannon. The Enzyme recovered and he nearly missed its head when he fired. With one Enzyme dissolving, Makishima turned his attention to the fight between Ash and the last Enzyme. He did a double take, certain that what he was seeing couldn't possibly be happening.

Ash was _wrestling_ the Enzyme, keeping the Zoanoid's head in a—what was that position called? A guillotine position? Yes, the skinny Lost Number American had the Enzyme's head in her arm and refused to let go. Having the Enzyme in a guillotine position did have its advantages; for one the said Zoanoid couldn't use it's pincers without risking hurting itself. The disadvantage: Ash was in no position to kill the much bigger Zoanoid. The winged Lost Number was light and small; there was no way she'd be able to hold her own in a fight on any given day.

Firing his Beam at the Enzyme's pincers, Makishima moved in to help Ash. Currently the whit Zoanoid had a grip on the Lost Number's leg and was _trying _to get her off. The only thing the Zoanoid received was a tighter grip and—_crack!_

"Oops," said Ash as the dead Enzyme slumped in her grip. "Didn't mean to break its neck."

"Oh well," said Makishima, smiling under the Guyver armor. Now that he was up close to the Lost Number, he saw that the girl's muscles were well built as though she trained in the martial arts all her life.

"Uh, Makishima man," she said clearly uncomfortable, "I don't mind helping your ass out in a fight, but shouldn't you be _helping someone_ instead of staring at me?"

"Huh?" he turned his attention to Murakami, whom had lost his left arm and now had several holes in him while the other two fighters dealt with the Enzyme-IIs. "It would be most unfortunate if he got killed."

* * *

><p>Rhea rolled her eyes at how <em>that<em> had been phrased. _Asshole_, she thought.

Murakami, noticing that Guyot was distracted by the destruction of the Enzyme-IIs, took the opportunity to temporarily blind him.

"Makishima, go!" shouted Murakami as Guyot covered his face, yelling in pain.

The black Guyver opened his left chest plate and charged the Mega Smasher. For a moment Rhea thought Guyot might recover before the smasher fired, until Makishima fired and hit the Zoalord.

"Did you get him?" asked Murakami.

"I think so," Makishima replied. "I was only able to fire from one side, but—"

"Run!" Rhea shouted the moment she saw Guyot moving. She didn't wait for anyone to acknowledge her; she turned and ran, making sure to grab Fukamachi and the female Segawa.

"Wait! What about the others?" she heard Fukamachi yell just before Guyot unleashed a powerful gravity attack. The two teenagers seemed to have gotten the picture and ran as fast as they could in Rhea's grip. It felt like they ran for hours before she finally stopped and turned to look at the carnage.

The entire cliff they had made camp was gone, obliterated by Guyot's Gravity Crusher.


	10. Chapter 10

They stood a few feet away from the edge of the crater. All traces of their encampment were obliterated, and also any sign of survivors.

"Ash," said Fukamachi Sho, "do you think…?"

"I don't know, Fukamachi-san," the Lost Number replied gently. She turned to look around and said, "Get behind me!"

The human teenagers got behind her and saw Guyot standing still in his battle form. The Zoalord reverted back to his default form and fell to the ground, not even knowing that three of his enemies stood nearby.

"Come on, let's get out of here before Cronos shows up," Ash whispered and quietly led the group of three back into the woods.

"Wait," said Sho. "Let's hide close by so we can hear what they're saying."

Ash thought for a moment, and then said, "You two go on. I'll stay behind and spy. If I get spotted I'll lead them away from you two."

"Ash—"

"You're in no condition to fight, Sho," she cut him off. "Until we can figure out what the hell's wrong with your Guyver, you'll need to trust me to protect you two. Now get going! I'll catch up with you later."

Sho was silent for a moment; her logic was sound. He couldn't fight, and if Ash were to be captured there was a chance that she could escape again. "Alright, good luck," he took Mizuki's hand and they ran into the woods while Ash disappeared.

* * *

><p>It didn't take long before the helicopters arrived. Rhea waited until she saw Team Five disembark and she revealed herself. She walked up to the Hyper Zoanoids and said, "Lost Number Commando Rhea reporting in."<p>

"Good to see you, Rhea," said Zx-Tole. "What's your mission status?"

"Well, as you can see," she pointed to the unconscious Zoalord, "Sir Pompadour here thought it best to blow up the cliff along with Guyver III, the Proto-Zoalord, and three of the humans. Currently, Sho Fukamachi and Mizuki Segawa are the ones that have survived."

"Where are they now?"

"Hiding in the woods somewhere; I thought it best to make them think that I would spy and see if anyone in the group survived. I can track them down later and get them to Dr. Barcus with minimal fuss."

"Good. By the way, have you heard from Aptom?"

"Aptom? No, was he supposed to meet up with us?"

"Yeah, he was monitoring the fight between Guyot and that Proto-Zoalord," said Elegen. "He hasn't even checked in with HQ since the fight ended."

"We thought he might have met up with you or something," said Gaster.

"Bloody hell," she pinched the bridge of her nose. "My gut's telling me to check up on my group; I'll contact you later." With that she turned, jumped back into the tree canopy, and began her trip to track down Sho and Mizuki as fast as she could. _If he goes after them this could go from bad to ugly. _

* * *

><p>Sho paced in the small cave he and Mizuki took refuge in. It had been several hours since they left Ash back at the crater, and the two teenagers were understandably worried. It was getting dark and they hoped their winged friend would back before dark.<p>

_We shouldn't have left her,_ he thought. _We should've stayed together! _

"Fukamachi? Segawa?" a very familiar voice called out before Ash dropped out of the trees and continued to run to the cave.

"Ash!" Mizuki greeted the Lost Number happily, but her smile faded when she noticed that their new friend appeared on alert.

"What's wrong?" Sho asked also going on to alert.

"A Lost Number named Aptom has gone rogue," Ash explained. "Fukamachi, you've fought him before. He was the leader of the Lost Numbers you fought days ago."

"I remember him," he nodded.

"Last I remember before escaping Relic's Point," she continued, "he was in the optimization tank for modification. Before that he and his comrades always stuck together like they were brothers. He might come after you for revenge."

"But I had no choice but to kill them!"

"It doesn't matter to him! In his eyes, you took away his only family; only a Lost Number can understand a Lost Number in Cronos. Trust me, I know the bond those guys shared."

"Of course you do," another familiar voice said behind her. "You shared that bond with rest of us, Rhea." Ash turned to face Aptom. "From where I came in, you haven't told them the truth yet have you?"

"That's because I'm trying to keep them out of Guyot's grip, Aptom," her voice changed as she dropped the Southern accent and Sho moved himself in front of Mizuki. "You know damn well what my mission entails, even if it means finding allies among enemies."

"Allies among enemies?" he scoffed and pointed at Sho. "I'd rather gouge my eyes out with a rusty spoon than ally with the kid that killed Gelpess, Somlume and Dyme!"

"Aptom, he didn't have a choice. Cronos never gave him a choice—"

"Oh really? Like he didn't have a choice when he killed _his own father_?"

"What?!" Sho's eyes widened as the suppressed memories of that horrific day came crashing down on him like a tsunami. At this point, Ash had unfurled her wings and taken a fighting stance.

"Either you stop this, Aptom, or…" she trailed off making the Lost Number in question finish that threat.

"You won't stand a chance and you know it. You don't have a secondary battle form; all you have are your wings and your bare hands."

"I know that nothing will stop me from bringing down Guyot!" She charged Aptom and punched his gut hard enough to force him out of the cave.


End file.
